The Brightest Ones
by NotTheMilk
Summary: Sequel to Golden Sunsets. It's the adventures of Sandy and Annamore's (Cupid) twin children, Meissa and Sanderson the Second (AKA Dune) but it will mainly focus on Meissa, as she strives to figure out her incredibly odd, rather uncontrollable powers. Main pairings are Sandy/Cupid, Jack/Tooth, although other pairings may potentially show up later in the story. Lots of fluff.
1. Suddenly We're Climbing Trees

**Hey guys! Thank you for still sticking with me. I have a lot of shenanigans planned for these two kids, but Meissa will be the main focus. I'm probably going to have fun with them being kids for a bit, but they will grow up before the end of things. I hope you like them! They are based off of my niece and nephew, so some of the reactions are based off my own experiences with kids XD - Not the Milk**

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Today was a particularly fun and special day for Meissa and little Sandy, who'd been nicknamed Dune – the four year old twins were getting to spend the afternoon at the Tooth Fairy's palace, and Jack was there to play with them too. Meissa loved going to the palace and playing with all the little fairies that would sometimes pause in their hectic flights for a few seconds to tweak the feathers on her wings with their beaks when the feathers were askew. She'd just recently lost the last of her baby down and had proper big girl feathers, as her mother called them, and she'd been attempting to fly ever since.

Standing beside their parents, who were going over some last minute instructions with Tooth and Jack, the twins were getting bored. With the adults distracted, Meissa started flapping her wings fast, seeing if she would have better luck imitating the little fairies. Nothing happened. She hopped in place, eyes closed, and her face turning red with effort. When she didn't land, her eyes flew open in excitement. Looking down, she saw a line of sand wrapping her waist. Glancing at her brother, she saw him giggling. "No fair!" She grumbled at him as he sat her back down.

"Soon, sissy." He reached over and tugged on her wings. She glowered up at him. She was the oldest, so she didn't understand why he was taller than her. Taking his hand, they followed Tooth and Jack into the palace now that they were done talking to her parents.

Once inside, Jack turned and knelt down in front of them. "OK, buddies. What do you want to play?"

"Hide and seek?" Dune looked up at him and Tooth hopefully. They'd just learned how to play, and both of them loved it, although they had a hard time concentrating on counting. Jack grinned and glanced at Tooth questioningly. "Can we?"

She looked between the three of them, wondering if she'd regret it. "Of course we can."

"You count!" Meissa said, bouncing. She grabbed Jack's hand and started tugging him away from Tooth. He held out his other hand for her brother and they ran down the hall deeper into the castle. Tooth glanced around to notice a few of her little fairies chittering in laughter at her before covering her eyes with a hand and counting as ordered.

After a minute of running, Jack and the kids darted into a small courtyard, one of many throughout the castle. There were a few trees in bloom, one of which had thick, incredibly leafy branches. "Alright, cuties, in you go." He picked the twins up one at a time and set them into the branches carefully, before scrambling up after them. They wiggled their way a little higher so they would be better hidden. "Try to find a comfortable spot and don't move – if we shake the tree too much, she'll find us." He whispered to them, grinning cheerfully.

Dune regarded his words solemnly and did as suggested. Meissa had a harder time staying still, and would have slipped out of the tree at one point had Jack not grabbed her just in time. He pulled her onto his lap and looked at her seriously. "If you don't stop wiggling, I'm gonna nip your nose."

She covered her nose with both hands, replying with a muffled voice. "Uncle Jack, you are so silly!" "Maybe, but if you aren't careful your auntie Tooth is going to find us. You don't want that, do you?" She shook her head emphatically. "I'll be as quiet as daddy."

He smiled and ruffled her hair, before setting her back on the branch, in front of her brother. They peered tensely through the tree to see if Tooth was getting close.

She flew in quietly, the feathers on her head rippling curiously as she glanced around, head turning back and forth, sometimes angling as she listened carefully. Like this, she looked more like a bird than usual, a little wilder. The children instinctively froze, their heart beats speeding up as they felt the adrenalin of being hunted.

Carefully leaning forward on the branch, Meissa attempted to get a slightly better look at Tooth, her small wings stretching with excitement. Unfortunately, the freshly grown flight feathers of a wing brushed against her brother's face. Realizing, she quickly brought the wings back to her body, but the damage was done.

The three hiders stared at each other in a moment of horror as Dune's nose started twitching and he unwillingly took in a deep breath. He stuck his finger under his nose to try to stop the oncoming storm, but to no avail. His eyes closed, and his sneeze shook the branches. When he opened his eyes again Jack and his sister were no longer in the tree. He looked down in confusion, to see an amused looking Tooth crouching down next to a snoring Jack, Meissa stretched over his chest, also asleep.

Smiling, she flew into the tree and plucked him out of it, setting him down next to the others. "That's one powerful sneeze you have, little guy."

He looked at the pair of sleepers, snowflakes and birds weaving in and out of dreams over their heads, and then back at Tooth, a big grin stretching across his face. "Hide and seek is fun!"

She took his hand and led him away, her eyes sparkling with a mischief the queen rarely allowed herself to show. "Yes, it is. We might be hiding a while, but should we make them 'it' now?"

He nodded emphatically, so they wandered off down the hall to find a fresh hiding place, although Tooth did have to shoo some of her little fairies away to keep them from giving them away. She also sent Baby Tooth back to the pair of sleepers to attempt to wake them up and give them the message that they were it. Meissa, being close to the fairies in nature, was able to understand their language pretty well, and would be able to translate for Jack.

After a couple of hours of hide and seek and tag, they switched to blowing bubbles for a while. The little fairies were as thrilled about this as the children were, chasing the bubbles around and popping them with their beaks, giggling till they nearly fell out of the air. Tooth couldn't even bring herself to admonish them for neglecting their duties, since she was at the moment too. After all, children were what she was here for, even if the two she was watching were fellow immortals.

Eventually they ran out of bubbles, which Tooth found fortunate. The fairies that had been playing with the kids were now covered in soapy residue and having a hard time flying for it. The children were nearly as bad off. She shared a conspiring look with Jack, gesturing to the children and the poor fairies. "So, I bathe them, you get their snacks ready?"

He looked at the group of troublemakers and thought for a moment, before nodding. "I'd just accidentally freeze the water." She smiled and, taking the kids hands, started towards one of the many fountains in the palace, the dirty fairies following along.

"Are we taking a bird bath?" Dune asked curiously as they approached the fountain, a doubtful look on his face.

"That's right!" Tooth smiled, picking him up and rubbing her nose against his to make him laugh.

"But that's silly! We aren't birds."

"Well, you perched in a tree like one today. If we don't get you washed off soon you might turn into one." Her eyes twinkled, letting them know she was teasing. "And this is a real bath. I just think they look prettier this way." She sat him in it, and then helped Meissa in beside him. The dirty fairies joined them, splashing around to get the soap off of their feathers. The children laughed, covering their faces to keep the water out of their eyes, as the fairies started splashing them too.

Some of the fairies brought them towels to dry off, as they got out of the fountain. Tooth dressed them in clean clothes, and, after tracking down Jack, they sat down in the courtyard they had hidden in earlier to eat their snacks. It was starting to get dark, but it was warm enough outside that they felt no need to go back in. The courtyard had lanterns throughout that lit up, one by one, thanks to Tooth's magic.

As the stars started to appear in the sky, Jack sitting with his arm over Tooth's shoulders, started to tell the kids stories. With his free hand he would conjure up creatures or people with his frost, and make them come to life as characters in the story, keeping the children enthralled. After a couple of stories he looked at the kids, grinning. "What story should I tell next?"

Meissa got up and started bouncing up and down, her feathers ruffling with excitement. "Tell us what it was like when mommy shot you!"

He felt Tooth jump slightly under his arm as they both stared at the little girl in surprise. "Uh, what?"

Dune nodded to back up his sister. "Mommy said you two are like her and daddy." He thought carefully for a minute. "Does that mean you're going to lay eggs?" He looked at the pair, eyes wide.

"If you do, can I hold them?" Meissa asked, forgetting that she'd asked for a story in light of the idea of Tooth laying eggs.

"Anny- Your mom shot us?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow. "How long ago was this?"

Dune thought for a moment, scratching his head. "It was before we hatched, so a long time! Daddy helped her shoot you." He said proudly as Jack stared at him in shock.

Tooth started shaking with laughter, putting a hand on Jack's arm. "We shouldn't be so surprised. I guess even Guardians need help sometimes - I'm not complaining." She gave him a quick wink and looked back at the twins. "We don't remember being shot, because your mom's arrows are special. If we don't see her shoot us, we'd never know it because you can't feel them."

"Oh." Meissa looked disappointed, but still slightly hopeful. "I think you should still have eggs."

The pair settled back down as Tooth took her turn telling them a story about collecting teeth. As she started explaining the differences between tooth types, and how to floss, she felt Jack's breath on her ear. "I think you've lost your audience." He whispered, gesturing towards the twins who had fallen asleep together on the grass. Dune was stretched out, face up, while Meissa had fallen across him, her head hanging off the other side of his body, her wings relaxed and drooping off her shoulders.

"I don't think that looks even slightly comfortable." Tooth said, smiling at the pair.

"Kids, huh?" Jack nodded, echoing something he'd said to her years ago. She gave him a knowing look and kissed him on the cheek. "Sometimes they understand a whole lot more than we give them credit for." She replied, as Baby Tooth flew out to them to let them know that Annamore and Sandy had come to pick the kids back up. She started to stand up as Baby Tooth flew back to let the parents know where the kids were in the palace. He slipped a hand around her waist and pulled her back against himself, gently running his fingers through the feathers on her back, and watching with interest as all the rest of her feathers rippled in response to the sensation. He gave her a quick kiss before letting her back up to pick up Meissa.

"I need to interrogate Sandy about this whole helping shoot me thing before he goes." He said jokingly as he picked up Dune quietly, being careful not to wake the sleeping boy. "And maybe get revenge."


	2. Green Eyes and Warm Hearts

**This is what happens when requests turn into crazy plot bunnies in my head - a request for Bunny to have a relationship, and a secondary request from someone else for that someone to be one of Annamore's roommates... So uh, this happened. This style of chapter won't be usual for this fic, however, this actually will affect things later on in the fic so it kind of worked out nicely. So expect to see random appearances from these two throughout the fic, but it will still be mostly Meissa and Dune taking center stage. - Not the Milk**

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"Are you sure this is OK, mates?" Bunnymund asked, looking around nervously, ears twitching from the back of the group. He made for an unusual figure this night, wearing a suit and a tie. He kept tugging at the bowtie around his neck, finding it too tight, but the worst part was the pants. They made it hard for him to move properly, but the others had insisted.

Jack shook his head at the rabbit. "It's just a party."

"Yes, but it's a human party. They probably won't even see us." He continued grumbling.

"You know, I heard you had fun at that Halloween party at my college. Don't want to try that again?" Annamore winked at him knowingly.

"That was a costume party, it was different. And you were human too. You were able to get people to believe in us. Your roommates were pretty decent, really." He raised a furred eyebrow at his friend, wondering what she'd meant by the wink.

Sandy rolled his eyes at the rabbit, giving his worries a dismissive wave. He pointed at a rather large house, situated on the outskirts of a city, in what was obviously a well to do neighborhood. Sighing, Bunny stopped complaining and followed them up the steps. Annamore rang the doorbell confidently, stepping back to wait with the others. The twins were being babysat by mermaids – they had pondered asking Jamie or Sophie, but decided that the risk of the kids accidentally using their powers on their babysitters would be too high.

The woman who opened the door was in her thirties, but she gasped when she opened the door. "Anny! I'm so glad you showed up!" She reached out and pulled the cupid into a hug before turning a smile to the rest. "Good to see you all again. Come on in, we've got some of the old gang here tonight."

Bunny gaped at her for a moment, while her attention was on others, but managed to clamp his jaw shut again before she could look at him. When she did, however, the look on her face was more mischievous than he might have expected from an adult human. "Remember me?" She asked him curiously.

"How could I forget hand girl?" He started examining the room and the people within to keep from looking too disturbed. "Your name was Sara, right?"

"That would be me." She pointed to other people in the room. "You remember Mei, I'm sure, and Shell?" She first indicated a small, beautiful, Asian woman, then a lightly tanned woman with very fluffed up hair. They were both deep in conversation with Annamore already, laughing as she showed them pictures of the twins, and they responded with pictures of their own.

He nodded. "Drunk girl and beard girl."

"Wait, beard girl?" She gave him a confused look. "She kept trying to remove North's beard." He explained, nose wiggling slightly as he fought to keep a mildly serious face.

This was all a little surreal for him, talking to an adult human beyond Jamie and Sophie. They grew up still believing, so he didn't find them weird. But having people he'd only met once, who seemed like perfectly normal people, was odd. He realized that Jack and North were talking to a couple of men, too. "Wait, you three I can understand believing in us, since you knew Anny, but how can they see us?" He indicated the men.

"Mei and Shell's husbands. While psychology majors are known for being a little odd, they decided that all three of us couldn't be insane, so we convinced them to believe." She laughed a little. "You have no idea how badly they wanted to meet Santa once we told them we had. I guess men never grow up."

"Neither have you, Sheila." He allowed her to lead him further into the room. She handed him a glass of wine, picking one up herself. "I've grown up enough. I get drunk on classier drinks, now, at least when people are watching."

He sniffed it cautiously before taking a sip, looking back at her. "What about your husband?" He asked, looking around, expecting to see another man.

"Ah, I'm the last to hold out there. Not found too many guys I get along with." She grinned at him. "I'm accused of being picky. How about you? You didn't bring a date either."

"Ah, hard to bring a date when you're the last of your species." He replied, taking a gulp of the wine to try to cover the note of sadness in his voice. He didn't want to be a party killer, but she had asked.

She stared at him, wide eyed for a moment as his words sunk in, before glancing away quickly so that he couldn't see her eyes misting up. "That's terrible. I'm so sorry." Her voice cracked so slightly it would have been imperceptible to another human. His ears twitched slightly at that, prompting him to put a paw on her arm. "Don't worry about it, Sheila. I didn't say it to make you feel bad. I've had a very long time to come to terms with it."

He walked her over to the couch, encouraging her to sit down, before placing himself next to her. Glancing around the room, he noticed they were getting the occasional unconcerned looks, but no one was paying them any real mind. They took simultaneous swigs of the wine, bigger than before. He felt the warmth run down his throat and into his stomach, soothing his nerves. Obviously, it was having the same effect on Sara. Her eyes kept flickering towards him as if she wanted to say something, but instead she kept downing more wine.

He finished off the last of his drink quickly. "So is this place yours?" He asked as she poured him another glass. "Yeah, it's the benefit of being all work and no play. I get a nice big house and no one to share it with. Except for my pet fish." She pointed across the room to a rather large, plant filled tank. He stared at the tank intently. "You must have a lot of fish."

"Nope. Just one, but he's really big." She stood up and motioned him over to the tank, where she pointed behind a few plants. "Meet Wallace, a long-nose Gar." He leaned forward to see the fish. It was almost two feet in length and had a long snout, teeth sprouting out of its mouth in a terrifying grin that almost made the boogeyman's grin look innocent in comparison. He turned back to the owner, a look of begrudging respect on his face. "You know, most Sheila's prefer more adorable pets. I'm beginning to think you're a bit more fun than most."

They went back to the couch and continued talking, and drinking, getting more comfortable with each other as the get together dragged on. Occasionally someone or another would walk over and ask a quick question, but they would wander off again and the two would continue their conversation. Through a little careful prodding, Sara got him to reveal a little bit of his history, although she was careful not to ask too much at one time. Eventually she leaned on him, feeling a little loopy. "Hey, Bunnyboy!" She cheerfully attempted to get his attention, reaching up to scratch him behind his ears. "This is like last time. Except now you're drunk too." She smiled at him.

He wanted to protest, but his body betrayed him by leaning into the scratch. She let up for a moment, then slid her hand down underneath his chin to try scratching him there. He managed to catch her hand before she could start this time, breathing slightly heavily. "Back to your old tricks, eh, hand girl?"

She gave her arm a yank, not to free it, but to pull him a little closer. "That's right." She gave him a challenging look and started scratching him with her other hand this time. "You really shouldn't do that." He mumbled, his eyes closing. "I'll start thinking you like me."

"You'd be right." He could hear her giggle despite the blood pumping in his ears.

His eyes flew open, green eyes meeting green. He'd only just realized her eyes were green, although hers were a slightly darker shade. "Ever been to Australia?" He asked quietly, as she stopped scratching him. He was thankful everyone else seemed too preoccupied to notice them right now.

She shook her head, eyes twinkling. He stood up and offered her his paw. When she accepted, he pulled her up and quietly tapped his foot on the floor, while motioning for her to stay quiet. She looked down the hole he'd made in her floor with curiosity, but didn't question or fight when he caught her in his arms and dropped into it.

Ten minutes later, Jack stopped and glanced around the room suspiciously. "Hey, where did the two couch potatoes go?"

Sandy waved to get Jack's attention and then showed a sand image of the bunny jumping with a person down a hole. "You watched them go?"

Sandy nodded, obviously amused by the rabbit's actions. He pointed at the wine and indicated the two had been drunk.

"Sandy, couldn't you have said something sooner?" Tooth asked, looking worried. When Sandy sent a withering glare at her she jumped. "Oh, yeah. Sorry, Sandy."

"They ran off together, huh? That explains so much." Annamore said thoughtfully.

Sandy turned towards her with a question mark over his head, while the others vocalized his thoughts. "What do you mean?" North asked, obviously confused.

"Did I ever tell you guys that after I gained my powers back she was actually one of my first targets? That was how I found out that her and the others could still see me, because they'd actually started to believe me when I said I was cupid."

Her husband nodded, having heard as much, but the others hadn't. Jack shrugged, still confused. "What does that have to do with this?"

"Notice she's still single? And I've never had to shoot anyone for her. What if she's had a thing for Bunny ever since that Halloween party?"

Bunny tried to give her a tour of the warrens, but instead of focusing on what he was showing her she kept reaching over and gently running her hands over his fur, or trying to touch his ears. It was driving him insane, since he was trying to be a gentle pooka. He was trying to show her some of the new designs he was testing for next year's Easter when she suddenly stood on her tiptoes, grabbed two handfuls of fur on his chest, and pulled him down low enough to press her lips against his furry ones.

She felt incredibly nice against his fur, he thought to himself in his alcohol addled state of mind. Without fighting he wrapped his arms around her shoulders and bent a little lower so that she wouldn't have to be on her toes. When they paused for breath he gave her a searching look. "Why?"

"Ask me tomorrow." She replied honestly, tweaking his tail lightly.

He nodded, accepting that answer. He took her hand and led her deeper into the warrens.


	3. I Feel No Regret

**Sorry for the length of time it took me to get this chapter together. Had a pretty stressful week. Lost a cat and had to deal with some important work things. Hoping the rest of this month is better. Good news is, writing adorable things helps. This has a little more Bunny love in it, I hope you guys don't mind. I'm kind of enjoying giving him a little love too, especially since it'll come into play again at some point. Thanks for all the love and reviews guys 3 - Not The Milk**

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It was a few months after the party, not long after the twins sixth birthday, when Annamore marched into the warrens with husband and children in tow. Bunny, though startled be the unannounced visit, greeted his friends cheerfully till he noticed the serious expression on the winged girls face. "Something the matter, Sheila?" He asked, concern rising in his heart.

She glanced significantly at Sandy, who nodded and led the children off to play on the large stone eggs on the other side of the room. The fact that she was sending the kids away worried him even more, but she didn't make him wait long. "It's about Sara", she started, an odd look on her face. Bunny interrupted her, his ears standing on end. "Is she alright?"

"Technically, she's fine. But… Oh, how do I put this? I don't know exactly what you two did when you disappeared during that party, but you filled her Easter basket with more than just eggs, if you know what I mean."

"I… What?" He scratched at an ear in confusion, staring at her. "Anny, are you out of your mind?"

She slapped a hand into her forehead in combined exasperation and anger, before snarling at him. "Seriously, Bunny, how can you be this dense? She's pregnant! And you! How come you didn't give her any way to contact you? You didn't think anything like this would happen?"

He stared at her, shocked both at the thought of having gotten a human pregnant, and at the sight of his friend so obviously angry at him. He tried to gather his thoughts together while she stood there glaring at him, her wings raised just slightly as she slowly came down from her inner rage. "Anny, believe me, I didn't even think it was possible. We were both drunk. I told her I'd stop by to see her again soon. I don't think either of us thought that this could… Wow." A slight smile crossed his face, although he felt a little worried. Him, with his own little ankle biter. He glanced at the twins and the smile grew.

She caught his smile and let her wings settled back into place, shaking them slightly to smooth the feathers back down. "That's a good look on you, Bunny. I'm happy for you."

"What? Then why did you come in here and try biting my head off?" He raised a furry eyebrow at her, confused by her behavior.

"This is my friend we are talking about here. You can't blame me for wanting to make sure you would be serious here. But honestly, if she likes you it's not like I can do anything about it, you big brumby." She winked at him.

He stared at her, and cautiously asked, "You think she really does like me? That night… Wasn't just the booze talking?"

"I know the answer to this, but it's not my place to say." She took his paw and walked with him over to where the kids were playing. "Why don't you go and ask her yourself?"

Sandy looked over at his friend and nodded encouragingly. "That sounds like a good idea." Bunny admitted, with growing excitement mixed with a healthy amount of nervousness. First though, he went up to the twins and knelt in front of them. "How would you guys like another kid to play with?" The two exchanged glances as if trying to read each other's minds, before grinning at him. "Can we brush her hair?" Meissa asked, having been secretly nominated spokesman for the pair.

"How do you know it's a her?" Bunny asked, patting her head gently.

"We just do." She shrugged, wielding all the calm confidence of a child whose mind is set on an idea.

"Can I name her?" Dune asked, pushing his ever lengthening gold locks away from his eyes.

"Uh, I think her mom might want first dibs there, mate. But if you come up with a good suggestion or two before she's born, I'll pass it on." He stood back up and turned to their parents. "We'll just see ourselves on out." Annamore said, taking Meissa's hand before turning to Sandy. "We'll meet you two back home later."

The two kids waved goodbye while their parents offered congratulations again as they flew for the exits. Shrugging, he tapped his foot and jumped down the hole it made, eager to see Sara again, and beating himself up inside for not having gone back sooner.

Once out of the warrens Annamore split away from Sandy and Dune. Holding tightly onto her daughter's hand, she flew with strong beats of her wings till they were up among the clouds. Once there, she rolled in the air, tossing Meissa above her playfully. The child's wings stretched out and fought violently against gravity, but her wings still were not quite strong enough to hold her up for very long.

"Don't flap so hard. Slow and steady, like I've been teaching you." She said, smiling encouragingly. Meissa met her eyes, calming down, and slowing the mad beating of her wings. With her mom flying underneath her, she knew there was no need to fear falling far, even if she got knocked around by a sudden gust of wind.

She stared down at the ground, and then looked around at the few wispy clouds surrounding them. They were mostly alone up here, save for the occasional bird, who would give them confused looks before flying on. The little girl started giggling. "Mommy, this is the highest I've ever been!"

"You're doing such a good job of it, too!" Annamore flew close and dropped a kiss on her daughter's nose, smiling proudly. "Someday you'll be one of the best flyers around."

"Better than Dune?" She asked hopefully.

Her mother started laughing. "Different than Dune. Can't compare winged flight to non-winged flight, love. Otherwise your daddy and I would fight all the time."

She flew under Meissa and let her settle on her back, between her wings, with her arms around Annamore's shoulders. Holding her arms in place for extra security, the cupid dove towards the ground to pick up some extra speed, before leveling out to settle in for a little long distance flying – she had a few targets to hit before they returned home.

"Mommy, can I have my own bow soon?" The child asked hopefully, legs kicking the air behind them as they spun along. Annamore let loose an arrow while she pondered the question. "I suppose we can do that, but what would you shoot?"

"Dune and I can make targets." She replied, shrugging with a little difficulty from where she hung on her mother's back.

Annamore pondered for a second, thinking back to when she was a child, and begged for a kitten – and here she was being begged for a weapon instead. Raising magical children was never dull, that was for sure. "Very well. But you'll need to promise you'll be careful. No shooting anyone, promise?"

"I promise!"

* * *

Inside a tunnel, outside of Sara's house, Bunny paused to think. It'd be awkward to knock on her front door, especially if any children were out playing in the neighborhood, but it'd probably scare the baby right out of her if he tunneled into her living room. "Blimey." He muttered to himself, before compromising by hopping out into her backyard instead. Climbing the stairs of her deck, he knocked on the glass door that was cracked open to allow fresh air into the house. "H-hello?"

He nearly hit himself in the head for stuttering. He wasn't used to feeling so nervous. He saw her cautiously peak around a corner out the door at him. "Oh, Bunny! I thought you were a burglar, no one comes in this way." She walked over and opened the door, sounding both happy and relieved to see him, giving his chest an odd feeling of tightness that wasn't sad or bittersweet.

"Would a burglar knock?" He asked, to cover up his discomfiture.

She paused to think about that even as she motioned him to come inside. "You have a point."

Once inside Bunny stared at her in awkward silence, wondering what to say. He had a silent conversation in his head, running through potential things he could say or ask, and crossing them off in frustration.

It must have shown on his face, because she started laughing at him. "So, I hear I knocked you up?"

He jumped in shock, feeling a flush cover his face, although it was hidden from her by his fur. "Did I say that out loud?!"

She started laughing even harder, falling over on the couch and beating it with a fist, tears rolling down her face. When she regained her senses, she gasped at him. "No, I did. It looked like you were thinking it, so I said it for you. I just wasn't expecting that reaction."

His nose wiggled in agitation, making her laugh even more. Finally he let go of his dignity enough to join her in her mirth. "I guess I don't have to ask how you're doing because it's obvious you're in good health." He reached out and gently ran his paw over her hair, peering into her eyes. "Uh, sorry. For waiting so long to come back. I was just… And you had been…" The urge to hit himself came back to him, as he wondered what he was even trying to say.

She took his arm in both of her hands, and gave him a nod. He sighed slightly, a breath of relief. Somehow she understood what he meant without even him understanding it entirely. She sat him down on the couch, before settling on his lap. "Whoa, Sheila, I'm not Santa."

"I know that, I've met him." She replied, mischief in her eyes. "I just figured I should get more reward for the trouble I'm in, Bunny." She reached up and started scratching under his chin to stall any arguments he might have. "After all, imagine telling your family or coworkers that you're pregnant with the Easter Bunny's child. And what will we put on the birth certificate?"

He winced slightly, internally, even as he was distracted by the chin scratches. He tried to grab her hand to stop her but she blocked with her other hand. "I messed up, I'm sorry." He said, meaning it. He was happy to know he was going to be a dad, but he knew that it was going to cause all kinds of problems. "You could come live in the warrens with me. You wouldn't have to worry about that kind of stuff, then."

"No thanks."

He blinked, surprised. "I figured most humans would love a chance to stay at the warrens."

"Visit, perhaps. It'd make a great vacation spot. I've built a life for myself here, though, and I don't want to give it up. So I just told people that I'm in a long distance relationship with a brilliant, handsome Australian painter."

His ears perked up against his will at the compliment, despite her turning down his offer. She continued, "And my house is far too big for just one person, so I'm pretty happy about this. You're going to help prove to people you're what I say you are, though, since most won't be able to meet you. You can start by painting the baby's room."

He nodded, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her even closer. "Whatever you'd like."

"You know, most guys complain when I push them around." She took hold of his ears like one might a dog and pulled his head closer to her to kiss him.

"Well, they don't know what they are missing."


	4. Harlequins Bring Life to the Party

**Finally, things are moving along with the story a little more. I hope everyone else enjoys the adorable as much as I enjoyed writing it. Goodness, I love these guys! - Not The Milk**

* * *

Months later Annamore wasn't surprised when Bunnymund popped out of a sudden hole in the middle of her garden. Even though she no longer slept on her cloud normally, she still kept up with her gardening – only now it was a family activity. It made her smile when she came across one of the kids watching a caterpillar chewing on a leaf, because the children would be enthralled. Or when the birds that flocked around the cloud landed on one of their outstretched hands to eat a few seeds offered when they thought their mom wasn't looking. Admittedly, Sandy was just as bad about doing that.

While the twins squealed with shock and delight, peering down the hole, Annamore grinned knowingly at her friend. "That time already?"

The rabbit nodded, his fur rippling in agitation, while his nose wiggled on overdrive as he stared wide eyed at his friend. "Still up for being there, Anny?"

She glanced at Sandy, who had managed to drag the twins away from the hole before they could fall in. He gave her the thumbs up to let her know he had everything under control. "I'm good to go, lead the way." He jumped down the tunnel as she turned back to her kids. "Mommy's going to be gone for a little bit to help Uncle Bunny with his baby, but I'll be back. Promise me you'll help your daddy with his dreams while I'm away?"

The twins clamored that they would. Satisfied, she bent over and kissed each of them on the forehead. Sandy looked at her expectantly and tapped his own forehead. She shook her head at him. "I think I can do a little better than that." She pulled him into a quick kiss, before turning and jumping down the hole. Over time, Bunny had figured out that she was far more willing to go through tunnels if she could fly in them, so if he knew she would be travelling with him he made the tunnels wide enough to allow for her prodigious wingspan.

Actually, while she wouldn't admit it to him, she'd gotten to the point where she actually enjoyed travelling by tunnel now that they allowed her to fly. The sharp turns, trying to see how fast she could fly in them, and the feeling of her wing tips brushing the walls when she came just a tiny bit too close was a challenge she couldn't find most days, although her occasional trips through canyons came close at times. She popped out of the tunnel at hovered for a moment to get her bearings. She was in what seemed to be the well-lit parking lot of a small, personal medical practice. Bunny was already pushing open the door and waving at her to follow. Shrugging, she swooped over and landed next to him.

"This isn't what I was expecting." She said, glancing around. It was bright and cheery, with obviously only a few people working at this time of night.

"Remember how your friend, Mei, married a doctor?" He replied, ears twitching every time an unseeing nurse shuffled by.

"Ah. This is his practice?"

He nodded and continued, "We decided it'd be safer to have her at a small clinic like this, with a doctor in the know about… Me. He was the logical choice, and with less people here to witness, if there is anything unusual about our child, he will be able to cover it up without as much trouble."

"If something weird happens, I could always go back for Sandy." She winked at him as they arrived in the room. She ran over to Sara and cautiously gave her a hug.

"I'm so jealous of you right now." Sara grumbled at Annamore.

"Why?"

"You were able to lay eggs and skip the hospital visit." She turned a glower towards Bunnymund. "You're the Easter Bunny! That should have meant eggs!"

"Rabbits don't lay eggs, and humans don't either, so why would-" Annamore cut him off with a quick motion, hidden from Sara's view. Taking the hint, he closed his mouth.

"Trust me, eggs weren't any fun either." She reached down and took her friends hand, squeezing it gently. "So did you guys finally pick a name?"

"Zoe." Bunnymund smiled, reaching over to steal Sara's hand from her.

Annamore nodded, pleased, and stepped back to allow them to have a moment. "That's a good name. Although Dune will probably be sad he didn't get to name her. The twins are looking forward to having a new playmate." She settled on the couch in the room to wait, while Bunny pulled up a chair to be close to the hospital bed. Every now and then, Sara would break out into a light sweat as her contractions got stronger. When that happened, Annamore would wave for Bunny to stay put while she stood up to grab a wet towel to put on Sara's forehead.

"You act like you've done this before." Bunnymund stated, looking at her appreciatively. "I know I'm younger than you, but I was still around before modern doctors. I helped a few neighbors." She shrugged. "Admittedly, doctors are rather fun." She smiled as a nurse wandered in to check on Sara's progress.

"Great, you guys make me feel like a little kid." Sara grumbled jokingly once the nurse left.

The two immortals just snorted in amusement, having been unnoticed by the nurse.

Meanwhile, on Sandy's cloud, he was trying to weave dreams for children while simultaneously keeping his own children occupied. It was much harder than he anticipated. At first, he had to keep grabbing one child, then the next, to haul them away from the edge whenever they got too close. Then they started flying around it, with Meissa accidentally going too far over the side when hit with a sudden gust of wind. Quickly, he lassoed her and yanked her back, shaking a finger at her when he had her attention.

She stared at him with big puppy dog eyes in response, which made his job even harder. He had a tendency to give in when she did that, and she knew it. He also knew she knew, so he pondered for a moment to think of a way to distract the pair so that he wouldn't have to deal with it. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers as an idea came to him. Getting the attention of both of them at the same time required a little effort since he had to get them to look at him first, but with the use of his sand he managed it.

Thinking carefully, he let the kids know through his images that he was going to let them help him work tonight, if they behaved. Both cheered when they realized what he was saying – they usually understood him pretty well, but he usually had to go about it slower than he did with their mother.

Both kids could handle the dreamsand, they had discovered, but Dune was a natural. Sandy stood back and watched his son proudly as the child created a stream of dreams easily. Dune had a hard time directing them all the way to a sleeping child's room, but with more practice he would be very good at it. The twins were almost seven years old, and already Dune was as tall as his father, which amused everyone.

Meissa, in contrast, was rather terrible at it, but no one would ever tell her that. Her streams of sand often fell apart, or would be twisted oddly. She had very little control over the directions the sand would go. But once she touched the sand and worked it out for herself, it would glow differently than the sand of her father or brother. The sand itself would stay gold, but the glow was a brighter, lighter glow. It felt like the glow of moonlight, silvery, crisp, and cold. Not like the warmth that the normal sand gave. Honestly, Sandy reflected, he was a little nervous about letting her give children dreams with that sand, as he hadn't seen if it reacted differently. Still, he was here to help if something went wrong, so now was a good time to test it.

He lowered the cloud to make things easier for his children, and also to keep him from worrying as much about the possibility of them falling. They could both fly, true, but they still needed improvement before they could handle much of it. Once over the street of a quiet neighborhood, he motioned for them to try sending their dreams off. While both were clumsy about it, everything seemed to go well for the first half hour, until all of them heard a loud noise and the screeching of tires. They peered over the side of the cloud in unison to see what was going on, and spotted two cars driving over the previously quiet road. The first one was being driven by a terrified looking old lady, the second by an obviously drunk couple. The young woman behind the wheel of the second car was weaving back and forth behind the old lady, making rude gestures and obviously shouting, although they were too high up to hear what she was saying.

The old lady slowed down in her fright, which unfortunately only served to make the people behind her even angrier. Finally, with another rude gesture, they whipped around her and tore past, going far faster than they should be going for a neighborhood. Sandy frowned, disapproving, but unable to do anything. He glanced back at his children, only to pause in shock. Meissa was now entirely covered in the silvery glow that made her sand stand out, and she looked as confused as her family did. The glow built on itself for a few seconds, and then shot off towards the fast speeding car before Sandy could do anything to stop it.

When it hit, it covered the car with the light, then continued past the car down the street, turning and disappearing down a side street. The people in the car seemed unaffected, and certainly hadn't seen it. Moments later, as they sped past the street, bright lights started flashing as a police car darted out and pulled them over. Sandy and Dune sat up properly and exchanged glances before staring at Meissa in shock. She looked back and forth between them, her lip starting to tremble. "I... I didn't mean to…"

Sandy was confused for a moment, before realizing that she probably thought she had done something wrong. He held out his hands at her, a calming smile on his face, and motioned for her not to worry. She tried to take a breath to calm down, and sniffled, a tear running down her face even as she fought to keep control. He pulled her into his arms, thankful that she wasn't as tall as her brother, and rubbed his nose on hers. It had the effect he was hoping for, making her giggle just a little. She ended up clinging to him, burying her face against his clothes while he soothingly stroked her hair. Dune sat down on the other side and leaned against his dad, torn between wanting to help comfort his sister, and wanting to snuggle with his dad too.

Back at the doctor's office, the birth had gone extremely well. At first Zoe had seemed to be perfectly human, at least when the doctor and nurses where in the room. Her hair was the only thing they had commented on as being odd, being incredibly thick and curly, in addition to being a shade between blue and gray, much like Bunny's fur color. Once the nurses left the room to let the mom hold her baby in peace, Bunnymund had reached over to run a finger lightly over the Zoe's forehead. As he did, fur blossomed across her body and her form changed, just slightly. He pulled his hand back and she went back to normal. Intrigued, Sara handed her to him entirely, causing her to take on a form that seemed right between the two parents.

"Her fur…" Annamore said, enthralled as she reached to touch the baby herself. "It's curly too!"

"She's beautiful." The new dad said, mesmerized by the blue green eyes that promised to turn to a darker green with time. Her fur was mottled blue, white, and gray, but there was a streak of light reddish fur that started below her left eye and traced its way up to curved towards her left ear. He held her out so Sara could get a proper look at her daughter in this form too.

"Congratulations, to you both. I'll let the others know how things went, so try to get some rest before North comes barging in here." She winked at them and opened the window, slipping through. She glanced back to see Bunny closing the window one handed, while shaking his head at her. Smiling, she hunted down her family.

When she found them, she couldn't help but smile. Though they were floating on a cloud over a neighborhood, they had obviously fallen asleep while working. Piled together, she didn't think any sight could possibly be as nice to see as they were. She very carefully landed on the cloud of sand, to keep from disturbing them, and walked over to them. She didn't walk quietly enough, though, because Sandy cracked an eye open and smiled up at her sleepily. She carefully snuggled up next to him and, shaking her head at the lack of blankets, stretched a wing over her family, before falling asleep herself.


	5. Hair and a Hare

**This chapter was so much fun to do! Finally, a wild plotline has appeared! (One I planned before I even started writing the sequel, it just took a little time to build up to it) ~ Not The Milk**

* * *

Meissa awoke with a start, confused for a minute because she wasn't in her bed. Cracking her eyes to see the dawn, she realized she wasn't even in her house. She was, however, perfectly warm and comfortable. Sitting up slightly, she saw the reason for that – her warm blanket was actually her mom's outstretched wing. She nudged her brother awake and together they carefully wiggled out from under the wing. Without the kids to prop it up, the wing retracted closer to its owner, bending around their dad only now. "Does mommy use him like her stuffed animal?" Dune asked, peering at their sleeping parents curiously.

"I think so." She replied, shrugging. They sat down together near the edge of the cloud so they could talk. He peered at her strangely, "How did you do that?" "Do what?" She was distracted, trying to form a flower from the sand at her feet. "That thing you did last night! It was so cool, how did you do it?"

Meissa accidentally dropped her hold on the sand, the deformed flower disintegrating under her fingers. "I don't know." She admitted. "But it was kind of scary, and I couldn't help doing it. It _made _me do it."

"What made you do it?" He pried, looking hopeful.

"That silver light." She frowned, restarting the flower and pointing to it. "See? This light. I couldn't help it."

"You didn't control it?" His eyes were wide in surprise.

"No." She replied, starting to look disgruntled now. He wisely dropped the subject, wondering what it'd be like if sand controlled him instead of the other way around. A few minutes later Annamore stirred and raised her head to watch the twins for a minute while they played.

Pulling her wing back, she shook Sandy awake. "So, fell asleep on the job last night?" She asked, winking at him. He grinned sheepishly in reply before asking how the baby was. The children, seeing the images of Bunny and a baby, stopped playing in the sand and accosted her as well.

"She's adorable, in both forms. Her name is Zoe. She seems healthy and happy." She informed them cheerfully.

"Both forms?" Meissa asked, climbing onto her mom's lap.

"She can apparently change form. Sometimes she looks human, sometimes she looks more like a Pooka, like Bunny. But she has adorable curly fur when she's like Bunny, and her fur and hair are kind of blueish."

"Can we see her?" Dune asked hopefully, his eyes wide as he tried to imagine what Zoe looked like.

"Maybe in a few days we'll take you guys for a visit. So did you guys have fun last night before your nap?" She looked between her family members.

Sandy got a funny look on his face and started, almost desperately, to describe the event from last night. Annamore, who normally had no problems understanding him, found herself lost as he fought for a way to communicate the details in sand images. Eventually he waved his arms in exasperation while the sand sputtered out of existence, giving up with an oddly annoyed look on his face. Meissa was too mortified at the retelling to assist, but Dune happily translated. "Meissa shot a car."

"It was an accident!" The little girl covered her head with her wings in protest.

Annamore stared at the three of them for a moment, unsure of how to take this news. She turned a searching gaze back on Sandy. "Shot a car? How? With her bow?"

He shook his head to defend his daughter, pondering how to explain, "I glowed and then the glow shot the car, and then the car got chased. But I didn't mean to, they were being naughty, and it just happened!" Meissa said, saving him the trouble, her voice slightly muffled through her wings.

Annamore gently tugged the wings away from Meissa's face, smiling down at her as she did so. "Don't be so shy about it. It just sounds to me like you're starting to figure out what your real powers are."

"But I didn't control it." She replied sadly.

"That's fine. You'll learn how, eventually. Remember, few of us know how to use our powers right away after we get them. It takes practice and experimentation to learn how to use them." Annamore assured her, getting a nod of agreement from Sandy as she did so.

She stood Meissa back up and played with the children, letting them fly after her to try to catch her. After a couple of minutes she let them tag her and crashed dramatically back to the cloud of sand. Not long after she said good bye to them again so she could get to work.

* * *

"Why can't we come to the party, too?" Meissa, now nine years old, whined as Annamore knocked on the back door of Sara's house. She smartly clamped her mouth shut when Sandy shook his finger at her disapprovingly. "If anyone else had called us together, we would have you two with us in a heartbeat, honey. But the Leprechaun is the one hosting this meeting, and so it might not be the best idea. Besides, you two can play with Zoe this way."

Dune, now a full head taller than his sister, put his arms over her shoulders and rested his chin on her hair. "Auntie Sara is fun to play with, anyways. Trampoline, remember?"

"We can fly, but you still like trampolines… Weird. I wish it wasn't so cold, than we could go swimming instead." She grumbled, not bothering to protest being used as a chin rest.

"We live on an island in the ocean and you still like pools… Weird." He teased back calmly, wearing his almost permanent good natured smile.

Sara opened the door, bouncing the not quite two year old Zoe with one arm, stalling any further argument from the twins.

Sandy thanked her for being able to watch the kids last minute while Annamore gave the kids a few last minute instructions. Annamore turned to give her a one armed hug. "Make sure to bring Bunny back with you after this meeting, OK?"

The kids peered out the door as their parents flew off, hand in hand, to their meeting with the leprechaun. Once they were out of site, Dune turned to Sara and held his arms out for Zoe. Giggling, the little rabbit girl threw her arms out so he could hold her. She loved it when the twins came over because they were different from the people she was used to, and the fact that Dune glowed mesmerized her. She loved trying to tug the feathers on Meissa's wings, which caused the older girl to teasingly tug Zoe's ears or tail in retaliation.

Zoe switched back and forth between human form and rabbit form pretty often, seemingly with no rhyme or reason that anyone could tell yet. Thankfully, she had an instinctual grasp of when it was better to remain human, and when she was safe to be a rabbit. So far she tended to only turn to her rabbit form when other magical beings were around.

With Dune playing with Zoe, Meissa and Sara stared at each other awkwardly for a moment, studying each other. "You have short hair." Meissa commented plainly.

"And you have long hair." Sara responded, giggling slightly as she reached a hand out to run her fingers through the winged girl's red and gold patterned hair. "Like your mothers."

"Short hair looks more fun." The child said with a knowing nod, despite never having had a haircut before in her life. "Is it more fun?"

"I think that depends on the person, not the hair. Did you want to try a haircut?" Sara looked at Meissa mischievously.

"Would I get in trouble?" She replied, eyes widening at the possibility.

"Nah, I might, but what's the worst your parents would do to me?" The woman snickered, pulling a chair from the dining room and patting it to convince Meissa to sit. Retrieving a pair of scissors from the kitchen, she walked back out. "I've never cut hair before, this will be fun!"

Dune, sitting on the floor with Zoe, looked up from the blocks he was helping her play with. "We'll be opposite now." He commented calmly, holding up a lock of his long golden hair as an example.

"Do you want your hair cut too?" Sara asked, sparing him a glance as she haphazardly hacked away at Meissa's almost knee length hair.

"No… I don't need one." He shrugged apologetically. "Our hair is different."

"Upsides and downsides to being magic, I guess." She turned her attention back onto the haircut she was giving. "Want to try bangs?"

"Sure!"

Meissa hummed cheerfully, swinging her short legs back and forth while listening to the sound of the scissors as they sliced through her hair. After a half hour or so, Sara stepped back and turned her head to the side to study the girl. "Well, Dune, what do you think?"

He studied his sister's head intently for a moment before nodding, offering up his calm approval. "It's her all right."

She pushed herself off the chair and ran into the bathroom. Being too short still to see into the mirror properly, she flapped her wings to gain enough height. Her hair now ended above her shoulders, and was ruffled up, falling every which way. A few pieces bypassed her new bangs in attempts to fall over her eyes, apparently relishing their new found freedom. She flew back out and hugged Sara, who managed to put the scissors down just in time. "I love it! It makes flying a bit easier, too."

"I should think so." She smiled back. They paused at a knock on the back door.

Meissa flew to open the door while Sara took Zoe back from Dune. "That was fast, I was expecting them to be gone a few more hours." She commented to him as she straightened up and turned, a welcoming smile on her face.

The smile quickly died as she registered a tall, blond woman, wearing a tight suit, a malicious grin on her face while she tightly held the wrist of a struggling Meissa. "Not expecting them for that long? Good, we don't have to rush as badly as we expected." A few ratty looking men moved in behind the woman, looking at her nervously as if waiting for her directions.

The bravely fighting child started glowing silver, but the woman notice and cuffed her, muttering a few words under her breath as she did. The glow disappeared and Meissa looked both shocked and slightly dizzy. Sara set Zoe back on the ground next to Dune and moved to stand in front of them both, arms outstretched. "What do you want?" She asked in a voice that sounded far calmer than she felt.

The woman sighed, with a frown on her face that suggested Sara was ruining her fun. "Actually, I don't need you. Just pass the boy over and you and your baby will be left alone. I have special interest in these two."

"What? You can't!" She stared at the woman in shock, not moving. "Wait, how is it you can see them?"

"Let's just say their parents aren't the only people with power out there." She smirked and stepped forward, dragging Meissa with her. She held out her other hand. "The boy, now!"

Before she could respond, Dune stepped around her and strolled towards the woman. "Sorry Auntie Sara. You need to protect Zoe." He said, looking back at her sadly. He held out his hand and a stream of sand shot out, causing her to fall next to her daughter in a dead sleep. The woman nodded cheerfully. "You're a smart one, aren't you?" He spun back on her, a pair of whips in his hand like he'd seen his dad use. He tried to look sure of himself, borrowing a grin his mother would call "sassy" as he stared down the woman who held his sister. He lashed out with the whips, aiming for the arm that she was using to hold Meissa captive. Reacting faster than he thought possible, the woman tossed his sister towards the men behind her and dodge the whip, closing in on him and grabbing both of his wrists, twisting cruelly. "Drop them now." She said, a smirk on her face.

Eyes watering in pain, he did as he was told. No wonder his sister hadn't been able to fight back, this woman wasn't a normal human. She turned and started dragging him away when she suddenly yelped. Looking down, his heart sank. Zoe, seeing her mom fall and her playmates fighting, had switched to her bunny form, and had latched onto the woman's leg.

The woman looked down at the toddler rabbit with an appraising eye, before shaking her off her leg and marching out the back door, pulling him along. She called an order back over her shoulder, sounding cheerful. "Bring the fur ball, too."


	6. Star ROTG - Return of the Accent

**Just as a warning - I'm going to be attempting Camp NaNoWriMo next month, so updates may be a little slow in April. I'm hoping to have a few chapters pre-written and that way I can update once a week, but no promises - I'm lacking a little inspiration right now so I'm having a hard time trying to figure out how I want the next few chapters to go (Yet I have ideas for AFTER that, of course. Writing is a fickle mistress!) Please review for me and maybe ask for something you'd like to see. Some of the most fun I have is running with random suggestions, truly! Might give me some extra inspiration. **

**That being said, I had a lot of fun with this chapter but Sandy has been letting Pitch attack me as way of revenge, so I've payed for it with sleep deprivation - Not The Milk**

* * *

Annamore hadn't minded the meeting – the Leprechaun was merely warning them that he had been chased by some suspicious people recently – but then, he was drunk as usual, and he often found himself chased. Didn't seem like meeting worthy material, in her mind. She was always happy to see her fellow Guardians in any setting, but she was more than happy to cut the after meeting party short to go rescue Sara from the horrors of having to watch three magical children at the same time.

Because Bunnymund was accompanying them back, they decided to travel by tunnel, arriving easily in Sara's back yard. Annamore flew out of the hole and landed neatly on the deck, only to check herself suddenly when met with an open door and silence. Moments later Sandy and Bunny joined her. The house was dark, and with mounting anxiety they stepped over the threshold. Turning the corner, Bunny gave a gasp of shock as their eyes fell on Sara, stretched out on the floor with dreams of a baby rabbit over her head. Sandy gently touched the dreams and dissipated them, allowing her to wake as Bunny knelt beside her.

She woke with a start, flailing around and shouting. Bunny caught her arms and held her against himself. "Shhh. You're all right. What's going on? Where's..." His voice cracked for a moment. "Where's Zoe?"

She glanced between them, a horrified look on her face that did nothing to quell their rising fears. "Zoe? She took Zoe too?" She shook and tried to stand up, starting to babble out the story. "A woman came… grabbed Meissa before I could stop her. I tried to keep her away from Dune. She said she just wanted them. Then Dune told me to stay with Zoe and knocked me out." She met Annamore and Sandy's eyes, tears rolling down her face. "I'm sorry!"

Annamore felt like she would bleed out through the wound she felt in her heart that she knew was emotional, but felt completely physical. She knew without asking that everyone in the room felt the exact same wound. She pulled Sara into a hug, giving her a kiss on the forehead. "I'm sorry, too." Judging by the account Sara had given, Zoe probably wouldn't have been taken had they not left the twins there. She looked up and met Sandy's eyes, gaining a fierce nod from him, and then met Bunny's eyes. He already had a boomerang in hand, the distraught he was feeling quickly being overrode by pure rage. "Well, mates, what are we waiting for?"

"I almost feel sorry for this lady." Annamore replied, adjusting her bow, before pulling a small glass orb from the quiver she wore around her waist. "You guys look for something to go on; I'm going to make a call."

When she rejoined the two fathers, Sara in tow, she found them puzzling over a pile of long red and gold hair. Sandy held up a clump of it, a mixture of anger and confusion on his face and a question mark over his head.

"Why would they cut her hair to kidnap them?" Annamore puzzled, taking it from him.

Sara coughed slightly, a hint of sheepishness overlaying her worry for the children. "Actually, that was me. Meissa wanted a haircut, and I thought it'd be fun."

Sandy nodded, accepting the explanation. It was, after all, better than the thought of his daughter having her hair hacked off as punishment by strangers. He walked outside and, closing his eyes in concentration, send out dreams, hoping that he'd be able to communicate with Dune should a dream manage to reach him. Bunny, on the other hand, went after more solid information, checking the grounds around the house for any signs of the kidnappers.

Finding tracks on the softer ground to the side of the house, he called the others down. He blinked in surprise as Sara joined them, a sword now hanging by her side. The other two didn't question her presence with them, but he took her hand and pulled to her to the side. "First, it wouldn't be safe for you to come with us, since we don't know what kind of creatures we are dealing with. Secondly, since when do you have a sword?"

She shook her head. "She's my kid too, therefore it doesn't matter what kind of creature they are. That woman is dead once I get at her. And I've had the sword under my bed for years."

He looked helplessly at Annamore and Sandy, hoping they'd back him up, but their faces were set – they had bigger things to worry about then whether or not his girlfriend stayed home, and they'd probably side with her anyways. Sighing, he acquiesced, knowing she had as much a right to rescue their daughter as he did. "Alright, but stay close, Sheila."

They followed the tracks around the fence of her yard, into the woods that backed up to it. "How deep do these go?" He asked Sara, indicating the woods as they marched, Sandy floating along ahead of them to light the way.

"Not far. They back up against a main road. That's why this path is relatively worn."

The rabbit muttered a curse, picking up the pace. "If they'd had to clear through a good portion of forest I'd say there would be no way they could get away, but I'll bet an Easters worth of eggs that they had cars waiting at this road."

There were no takers. Shortly they made it to the road, as promised, and the foot prints ended next to deep tire tracks in the soft ground. The dirt was scattered over the road where the cars had forced their way back on. It was obviously they had left in a hurry, too. Sara looked at her immortal companions for hope. "Now what do we do? Should I report this to the police?"

"If the kids couldn't fight them off, human police would stand no chance." Annamore said, putting a hand on her old friend's shoulder and giving it a squeeze, even while she gave Sandy a significant glance. Nodding, he grabbed Bunny's scruff and hauled him bodily into the air with one arm, creating a small cloud of sand under him as he did. Annamore grabbed Sara around the waist and gave a giant thrust of her wings, landing them both on the cloud as Sandy dropped Bunny onto it.

While the two ground pounders recovered from their treatment under Annamore's watchful eye, Sandy directed the cloud down the road in the direction the tracks led, not knowing if it would do any good, but unable to sit around doing nothing.

Five minutes down the road they heard a familiar voice. Glancing up, but not slowing down, they saw Tooth as she flew along with them, swords brandished. "I heard what happened!" She shouted down at them, the fairy queen's expression distraught, but her feathers raised to show her willingness to fly into battle. She hadn't spent too much time with Zoe, but she was incredibly fond of Bunny, and knew how much his daughter meant to him. The twins, however, she held a great love for, especially Meissa, due to her babysitting them on occasion. She'd often stop by to say hello to the children, and would come and collect their teeth personally, often hassling them about their flossing habits as she did.

Not a minute later a cold breeze blew through their hair and feathers, but no one thought to complain as with the cold came Jack Frost, his seething anger sending tendrils of frost across the golden sand as his feet touched down on the fast moving cloud. "Got any leads?" He asked the parents, settling right down to business.

"Only a vague sense of direction." Bunny replied with a growl, his eyes narrowed.

A jingling of bells interrupted any further conversation as the final member of their group arrived, North's sleigh popping out of a magic portal not far off from them. Without a warning, Sandy maneuvered the cloud over the sleigh and dissolved it, dropping everyone on it into the sleigh with a hard thud. The only one who hadn't dropped directly onto their seat was Sara, who Bunny had grabbed up just as he realized what Sandy was doing. Once everyone was settled he sat her on the bench in between him and Tooth, while he tried to keep a brave face in front of her.

Now that they were all together, North had Sara repeat the events of the night for him, and describe the woman who'd kidnapped the children. "Ah! Sangria! That old witch. Thought I was done with her!"

"Wow, North, it's not like you to call someone a witch." Jack said, intrigued.

"No, I mean literally. She is witch." North explained.

"Wait, a witch has our children?" Annamore stared at him, hoping he was exaggerating. "I thought the last of those died off a long time ago. The real ones, I mean."

"She is a particularly stubborn one, I give her that." North frowned. "But it means bad things. We need to find little ones quickly. I wonder… Maybe it was her that was after Leprechaun."

"What do you mean by 'bad things,' North?" Bunny pressed, suspicious.

"She… Ah, she is not a true immortal, not like us. Is supposed to age, and die, but she is very powerful. She is almost as old as me; maybe she gets powers from magical creatures like us?"

"North, what is it you're trying to say here?" Sara asked, feeling more freaked out by the minute. "Are you saying she eats them, or sacrifices them?"

"She is not good witch. Must have run out of dragons." North replied sympathetically, as if that answered the question. "But do not worry, we will get them back! I know where she used to hide, but that was long, long time ago. We start there, yes?"

With that he shook a snow globe and tossed it out in front of the sleigh, taking them across the globe in an instant.

* * *

Meissa didn't remember most of the drive after they were captured. She and Dune had fought against her enough through the woods that their captor had grabbed her brother, said a few words, and knocked him into a dreamless sleep. Meissa struggled even harder as the woman turned to her, but to no avail as she received the same treatment. She drifted in and out of the weird sleep through the car ride, as the sensation of the car and the inky blackness of sleep with no dreams were both foreign to her. Somehow, though, the woman seemed to realize every time one of them woke up, no matter how hard they tried not to move. She was sitting in the back seat with them piled beside her, holding Zoe in her arms.

Every time she noticed one of them was awake again, she repeated the same spell she'd put on them earlier. After what felt like forever, the car was stopped and the kids were carried deep into a building, the walls sterile and white. They were placed in a room with dimmed lights and a mattress with blankets on the floor, Zoe being left with them. She had spent so long crying during the car trip that her tears had long since worn out, but she still sucked in air every so often like she was going to have a fresh go at it.

Meissa woke up slightly and sat up in a sleepy daze. Eyes falling on Zoe, who had fixed a wide eyed look on the older girl, she reached out and pulled her onto the mattress that she and Dune had obviously been unceremoniously dumped onto. Settling the rabbit girl between herself and her brother, Meissa reached out for a blanket and tugged it over the three of them. Once she settled herself back down on the mattress the smaller girl wormed her way into her arms, making her smile just slightly. "It'll be alright, Zoe." She murmured, flicking her wrist to make a rare perfect dream to give to the child, causing her to fall asleep. Feeling a little better at the tiny good she managed, she followed suit, knowing the Guardians would be along to save them before long.


	7. Tricks, Chicks, and Fairies

**Happy Easter everyone! Had so much fun with this chapter, especially after being able to read the Guardian books. Tried to integrate a little of that goodness into this chapter. Hoping to be able to stay updating once a week through April, but no promises while I attempt Camp NaNoWriMo. Thanks for sticking with me! - Not The Milk**

* * *

The twins awoke with a start, looking around in concern as the events of last night came thundering back into their mind. Meissa and Dune looked at each other, communicating silently as only twins can. Dune picked up the still sleeping Zoe, resting her carefully against his shoulder, and together they walked towards the door of the room. Meissa reached for the doorknob and tested it. "Locked." She mumbled, not daunted in the least. She held her finger up to the lock and it started glowing silver.

Shooting the light into the lock she tested the doorknob again, smiling a little maliciously as it opened. "Uncle Jack would be proud." She whispered to her brother cheerfully. Peering out of the room, she glanced down each side of the hall, and seeing that it was clear, waved her brother on to join her. She led the way, in part because she was better at sensing people than Dune was, his specialty being people who were sleeping. Also, because she wasn't carrying a toddler and her smaller stature and lack of constant glowing made her mildly stealthier.

As they approached a corner she paused and pressed herself hard against the wall, grabbing her brother's arm and pushing him against it too, hoping the action wouldn't wake the little girl in his arms. A man in a lab coat walked past at a high speed, just managing to miss them. She looked at Dune questioningly, gaining a shrug from him. "He doesn't believe in us."

"That's a good sign…" She peered around the corner before waving him on. Going by stories she'd heard, she felt like they were in a hospital or a lab, although she had never been in either. After a couple more minutes of walking, she nodded, feeling the air change as they went. She whispered to Dune as she paused, holding a hand up. "I think we are closer to the exit."

Nodding, he sprinkled a little more sand on Zoe to be sure she wouldn't wake and possibly give them away, before passing the little girl to his sister. Being a decent amount shorter than Dune, Meissa found the toddler to be quite cumbersome, but didn't complain as her brother created a ball of sand for each hand, ready to use as a weapon if need be. He felt that in the matter of escaping, knocking the bad guys out was probably smarter than trying to fight them, although he wasn't sure what they would do once they escaped.

They moved as silently as possible now, bare feet making no noise on the hard floor, although their breathing sounded very loud in their own ears. They had reached the end of the hall, where it opened into a well-lit waiting room.

* * *

The sleigh landed with a thud severe enough to make Sara yelp as she tried not to go flying forward. "Sorry. Maybe should get seatbelts after all?" North said, gaining slight smiles from his friends. They had landed inside a mountain, oddly enough, and followed his lead as he hopped out. He looked oddly cautious as he pointed towards a small castle oddly located in the center. "Careful. Sangria liked traps."

Annamore examined their location. It was as if either multiple mountains had been fused together to create an impossible to get to valley, or if someone had taken one very wide mountain and attacked the center with a giant ice cream scoop. It would have been a pleasant looking place under better circumstances, being surrounded by well-maintained gardens, but she couldn't appreciate the beauty at the moment.

Sandy, Jack, Tooth, and Annamore all started flying towards the castle at full speed, weapons at the ready, when they were checked by a shout from North. "Why no one listen to me? I said traps, there will be traps! Or you think garden is for pretty?" He stormed up, glowering at his friends because of his worry. "Must be careful! Bunny?"

Nodding, the Pooka hopped to the front of the formation as the flyers landed begrudgingly, and pulled out a pair of eggs. He rolled them down the path ahead of the party, and then stepped back with the rest to better see what would happen. Suddenly plants from the garden rose up and entangled the eggs, massive thorns obvious as the eggs were crushed, with vines turning to snake towards the Guardians.

Jack was the first to react, shooting ice at the attacking plants to freeze them in place. Seconds later the plants were shattered as the rest joined in attacking. Only Annamore and Sara held back, Annamore because arrows were not the best weapons for the job, and Sara because the battle took place far too fast for her to figure out what she could do to help. When they were done frozen plant chunks littered the path, a few stumps still twitching in their death throes.

Without a second glance at the destroyed plants Annamore stalked forward, head high and wings outstretched and ready to react. Ahead of them lay the next trap, and she already had an idea of what it would be. A row of lovely trees encircled the castle before them, planted close together. As they approached the trees the path vanished before their eyes. Pretty clusters of pink flowers grew on the trees, giving off a sweet fragrance that Annamore was familiar with. She didn't even blink when the trees caught fire at their approach.

"Is just fire?" North puzzled, staring at the circle of flames that rose high into the air. "We just fly over then!" Sandy nodded in agreement and started to make a cloud for them all to ride over the fire on.

"Stop!" Annamore barked, using a commanding voice they weren't used to hearing from her. Everyone, Sandy most of all, stared at her in shock, prompting her to explain. "Those are Oleander trees."

"Yeah, so what?" North said, almost looking like he was pouting.

"Every part of an Oleander plant is poisonous… including the smoke. If we flew above those trees we'd be in for a very special treat." She stated, pointing above the trees at the smoke now surrounding the castle, before adding begrudgingly, "You were right, North, this witch is pretty clever."

While the others digested her words, she looked about for an idea. "We don't know what traps she may have placed below ground, so tunneling is out…"

Overhearing her mumbling, Sara joined her in pondering. "Can't Sandy use the dreamsand to put out the fire?"

Sandy slammed a fist into his palm, an exclamation point appearing overhead. He nodded confidently, and started working on the plan immediately. "That's going to create even more smoke in the short term though, we need to do something to get rid of the smoke once he's done." She thought for another moment before grabbing Tooth's shoulders, eyes wide with excitement. "Your little fairies! Can you call them to help?"

Tooth smiled, realizing what Annamore planned to do. As her fairies were a part of herself, she sent a thought out to them, summoning the little creatures to her. By the time they arrived, Sandy was nearly done smothering the trees with wave after wave of dreamsand. As Sandy settled back onto the ground next to the group, Annamore and Tooth took off into the air, joined by the many mini-fairies. Moving forward, they started beating their wings at the smoke, staying well away from it themselves. With the help of the small fairies they soon created a strong enough wind to push the smoke away from the path. The two landed again, panting slightly from effort. "Alright, should be safe now. Thanks, little guys!" She waved as the fairies flew back off with cheerful squeaks.

The next trick was a simple moat, with no bridge to cross. Upon reaching it they laughed in amusement, allowing Jack to freeze it solid. "I'm sure it had something really scary somewhere in there, if you're mortal." He pointed out, spinning his staff impishly. "I doubt she built this place with us in mind, though."

"Do not be so sure. Her powers came from Pitch himself, long ago." North responded as they finally reached the door to the castle. "She wanted power, she got power. It came with great pain, twisting her further. She makes traps because traps fun."

"So is the door trapped too?" Tooth asked, looking at it cautiously.

"Don't think so." North shrugged, reaching to turn the knob.

The others braced themselves for an attack to be sprung but none came. Bunnymund rolled his eyes. "I think I am starting to get her, a little. She has other traps in here, I'm sure, but she is the kind of person who would leave the door alone as a reward for anyone who manages to come this far?"

"Ah! You understand!" North clapped him on the shoulder heartily, thrilled. "She need more hobbies." With that he led the way into the castle. "Do you think she has the kids here?" Annamore finally asked as she took careful aim and shot down the last of a group of evil monkeys that had swarmed them. With the last dead, the monkey's bodies turned to vapor, proving they had not been truly alive. Tooth seemed personally affected by that attack, her face set like stone as she glanced about for more. Bunny rested an understanding paw on her shoulder and said a few quiet words, soothing the queen.

North shook his head. "Don't think so, but might find clue." With that they pressed their way forward. In the next room the door behind them slammed shut, while the door ahead had words engraved on it. The room was lit by candles, and seemed to be made entirely of metal. Annamore ran a finger lightly over the engraved words as she read them, curiously. They were in a language she didn't know, the words sounding alien to her ears. Bunnymund turned his ears towards her. "That's ancient Pookan. How did this Sangria get that?" He pondered, scratching his chin.

"What's it mean?" Jack asked curiously, looking up as he tried to pry the exit open with his staff.

"When the doors close the truth is revealed. Secrets once hidden are now unsealed." He intoned, pleased with the chance to show off some ancient knowledge. "Been forever since I heard it. Wonder what she means by it."

"Sandy wears bloomers." Annamore said quietly, as if not paying attention to what she was saying. A moment later she clamped her hands down over her mouth, looking as shocked as everyone around her was. Sandy, on the other hand, looked at her as if betrayed.

"Anny, why would you…" Jack started before trailing off, another thought crossing his mind. "Tooth makes the most adorable squeaking noises when I-" Tooth had her hands clamped over his mouth before he could finish that sentence. "Well, I had to teach you everyth- North! Do something!"

"I once kissed a little boy's mother! There was mistletoe, maybe had eggnog already, was last stop on Christmas night, he must have seen us because he grew up to write song!" North bellowed out as if he'd been about to explode. The others stared at him, their hands over their mouths to try to prevent further outbursts. He grinned cheerfully at them. "Whew, feel better."

"I have the world's most extensive collection of rare and unusual eggs and I've never told Sara because I'm afraid she'll laugh at me." Bunny admitted, a look of horror on his face.

"I'm pregnant again." Sara responded meekly, unable to help herself. Bunny's ears stuck straight up in shock as he spun to look at her.

Sandy, who'd been waving for people's attention, started going through images at lightning speed, but no one could understand what he was trying to say, much to everyone's relief. Jack chuckled at his diminutive friend, "You probably have the most dirt on everyone."

Quickly North turned back to the door and tested it. "Hmm… Lock is strong." Stepping back, he intoned words in a language few in the room knew. The door flew open, but it was obvious that it wanted to slam shut again. He quickly dragged everyone through, looking pleased with himself. "Been long time since I used spell. Is why Sangria hates me."

They were now in a bigger room than any they had been through so far, one that seemed normal in comparison to the rest of the castle. It contained rugs, chairs, a couch, and a table. North nodded cheerfully. "We come to heart of castle! Maybe now we find where naughty witch went?"


	8. Receipt for Disaster

**I'm so sorry that this took so long. Really I am. Life hit, and hit hard, and I lost my muse for a bit. I think it's back now, thank goodness. (Had some help from a couple of friends. Sara, Robyn, here's looking at you two) So I hope you guys enjoy this, and can forgive me for the delay.**

* * *

"Come on, kids, you didn't think it was really going to be that easy, right?" Their kidnapper materialized next to the doorway out right as Dune reached to turn the handle. The kids jumped, startled, but Dune had the presence of mind to throw a ball of sand towards the woman's face. She smirked slightly as she blocked the sand with a gesture and a word. "Sorry kid, I've had too much caffeine today for that."

"You waited here for us?" Meissa asked, raising an eyebrow as she carefully switched Zoe to her other arm.

"For three hours. Took you kids longer to get moving then I expected." The woman shrugged, waving her hand and transforming the room. It now seemed less like a waiting room and more like a cozy den. There was even a large fireplace on one side of the room now. The only thing that seemed out of place was a cauldron hanging above the fire.

"You need a hobby." Dune blurted out, knowing his sister was thinking the same thing. Then he winced, regretting his choice – maybe insulting his kidnapper wasn't a wise move. Their eyes widened in surprise, though, when the woman started chuckling good naturedly. She looked over them with her eyes twinkling and waved them to a couch. "Ever played video games?" She questioned as they sat down. "I have to say they might just be one of my favorite modern inventions, but my assistants are a little too scared of me to play. They think I'd kill them if I lose."

"Would you?" Meissa asked, worried, yet glad for a chance to set the still sleeping Zoe down.

"Probably. I've never lost to find out." The woman shrugged and held out a hand to the twins, a twisted smile on her face. "Anyways, I've not introduced myself yet, have I? My name is Sangria, and I'm a witch."

"Seriously?" Dune asked while dubiously shaking her hand.

"Really. Your friend North is a wizard, so a witch shouldn't surprise you." She smiled at them with a surprising hint of warmth. "I've told you my name, so you should tell me yours now. It's polite."

Dune opened his mouth to respond when Meissa looked at him significantly, causing him to shut it. She cocked her head, regarding the witch carefully. "Sorry, but in stories, sometimes when the witches know your name they can control you."

"Don't worry about that. Controlling you isn't my intent – if your parents found you, they'd be able to break you from any such spell easily." Sangria assured them, seemingly amused. "My purposes for you are slightly more grim, I'm afraid."

The pair exchanged worried glances at looked back at her. "Meaning…?"

She steeled herself, before whispering, as if ashamed. "I'm going to be killing you, eventually."

"Why?" Meissa demanded, putting a hand on Zoe's back protectively, causing the bunny girl to mumble in her sleep.

"Because I, unlike your kind, am not immortal…" She stared at the children almost hungrily now, "But, with the right sacrifices I may finally be able to be."

"That's terrible!" Dune moved in front of the girls as if that would protect them, but his lip trembled a little at the thought of being sacrificed.

"Well, it's not as if you are human." She grumbled, as if that made it better. "Don't make me out to be some kind of monster. I'd never kill my OWN kind. I have no qualms killing other kinds, though."

"Well, we kind of are." Meissa parried, hoping to get the woman to see reason. "Our mommy was human once, a long time ago. And Z-" She caught herself, collected her thoughts again, and pointed at the sleeping toddler, "Her mother's human right now."

"Her mom may be human, but that doesn't mean she is. And you two certainly aren't, no matter what your mom was at some point. So, instead of arguing this point, we are going to have snacks and play video games." Sangria suddenly became cheerful again and pointed for them to sit. "No buts, I need to shoot things."

Dune couldn't help it, he had to continue arguing, "But if we are to be killed, why are you playing with us?"

The witch narrowed her eyes at him, but decided to answer even as she turned on the game console she had set up. "Because the moon isn't right. I can't possibly get away with killing you three when the Man in the Moon is watching. You guys have at least a week, so don't worry." She put the game in and pointed to some snacks nearby. "Help yourself."

"… Great, we get kidnapped and are going to be killed, and the person is playing with us? She's like a cat playing with a mouse." Meissa grumbled quietly to her brother even as she reached curiously for a bag of chips, never having had any before.

"Don't complain, the longer she waits the greater our chances of rescue." He whispered, a hopeful look on his face. With lighter hearts at that thought, they willingly started playing against the witch.

* * *

North was annoyed, stomping through the room and riffling through books and objects, "No, no, no! Why is there no finding of new address?"

Annamore patted his shoulder, glad he was helping them out, "Maybe we aren't look at this right?" She stepped back and looked at the room. There were so many books throughout it, a lot of them looking to be ancient, handwritten, spell books. From how old North said Sangria was, she didn't doubt that Sangria had probably personally written some of them.

Maybe the information they needed would be on something smaller. She obviously didn't garden for food, since all the plants had seemed to be traps. And she was technically human, able to be seen and interact with people. Maybe she went shopping? Annamore glanced around and noticed a few receipts scattered on the floor and started walking around, grabbing them up. The books and the neat objects would be more permanent fixtures of the witch's, she felt. It was the little things, the mundane, the things that were to be thrown away when she got around to cleaning. That would show what her day to day life was like, and so, possibly the areas she frequented.

Sara was the first to catch on to what she was doing as she noticed Annamore start lining the small papers up on a table, as the others were still nose deep in various books. Without a word she moved to the opposite side of the room and started gathering the same, bringing them back when she was done combing that area. They stood back and started reading them.

"Groceries… Davenport, Iowa?" Annamore muttered, setting that receipt to the side. "That's a long ways from here. What are Cheetos?"

"This one is from Gamestop. Odd, I don't see any electrical outlets in here. Same town." Sara added, holding up another receipt. Jack, who had decided their idea was more interesting than a book could be, plucked the receipt from her hand, "Oh. Nice. She likes her games bloody."

Seeing both mothers narrow their eyes at him he raised his hands defensively, "Maybe she bought them for her boyfriend?"

"Bah." North tossed a heavy book over his shoulder, breaking a glass statue as he did, "Sangria would not have mortal boyfriend." He looked at them and grinned slightly, almost looking embarrassed. He tapped his fist against his chest, "Once, she fancied me. But I not like crazy witch woman. Wanted me to let her kill elves. They is annoying, yes, but kill? No."

Annamore raised her eyebrows at him, wondering if there was a chance Sangria was doing this to get his attention, "Well, you know what they say about a woman scorned…" She reached down and picked up a business card from the table. "Now this is interesting." She said, ignoring North as he looked around asking what was said about scorned women.

The others moved in closer and looked at the card over her shoulder. "Chimeric Pharmaceutical? What would a witch possibly need that for?" Toothiana asked thoughtfully, "And that name…" She turned and started conversing with the few mini fairies that had followed her in. Seconds later they were gone, leaving behind only a slight breeze stirred up by their wings as they buzzed away.

Noting the others looking at her quizzically, she explained, "I have a feeling I've heard that name before. I'm having the girls go take a message to a friend of mine. She'll meet us there."


End file.
